Sue Edkins

I am a visual artist with 10 years experience working in schools and community settings, since graduating with a degree in Art for Community.

As well as doing mosaic art I also run workshops using other art forms such as ceramics, papier mache, textiles and collage.

I offer schools a choice of the following:

• A collaborative project resulting in a good quality permanent artwork to display on the school premises, giving a creative ethos to the school.

• A one-day workshop at school, maybe as part of an Arts Week with the children displaying their work on completion.

• A regular after school Art Club or ‘Extended School’ creative activity.

• A series of workshops with a targeted group of children such as the ‘gifted & talented’ or a particular year group,

• Creative mentoring project workshops for children with low self esteem who would benefit from doing a special creative activity outside the normal classroom environment and working as part of a small team.

My mosaic projects offer a very creative, hands-on and rewarding experience for children of all ages. They love the colours, shapes and textures of mosaic and the immediacy of the making,

I like to engage with a group of children to get their own ideas and drawings that help me to make an enlarged final design. Children then learn how to make the picture using a variety of mosaic tiles and mixed media. I always bring an exciting range of coloured tiles and other mosaic materials for the children to choose from for example glass beads, pebbles and shells.

The finished work can also incorporate Individually made ceramic pieces by the children, such as faces or hand-prints.

I have done many projects with schools and communities which are featured on my website mostlymosaics.co.uk.

I have mainly worked as a freelance artist but also through arts organisations like Feltham Arts, Hounslow Arts Service (former C.I.P), Maiden Lane Community Centre, Camden and Global Arts Kingston.

Project 1

William Hogarth Primary School, Chiswick, Hounslow

I had an initial design/ideas workshop with Year 5/6 to establish the theme for the artwork. I asked the children what identifies their school - the things that stand out to them. Their ideas were written down on 'post it' notes and put up on a board, then they each drew and painted a picture from their chosen ideas. From this we decided on 4 subjects to make four different pictures, rather than everything in one large one. The children then worked as four separate groups to produce their final designs incorporating the most popular subjects. I then adapted these to make simple working designs to be enlarged to fit 90 cm square boards.
The 4 mosaic pictures (depicting the chosen subjects of Sport, Art, William Bear the school mascot and the school's Pond) were completed over the course of two weeks by the Yr 5/6 groups as well as children from the earlier years.

Project 2

Strand on the Green Infant & Nursey School, Chiswick

This three form intake infants school wanted a textile project which utilized five large frames, each one 184 x 61cms and also responded to the 'Every Child Matters' agenda.

Working with fellow artist Jane Porter, we devised a project which would have input from every child in the school, from Nursery up to Year 2.

Each panel represents one of the main points of the ECM agenda and features textile collage pieces made by each individual child using scissors, glue and some simple stitching. As the school is by the River Thames, each panel also includes a strip of river running across it, populated by fish and swans.
Nursery and Reception children used fabric transfer paints to depict themselves, or printed stars. These were then ironed on to the panels along with the older children's work.

Downe Manor Primary School

After much research I discovered Sue's web-site and was inspired by the quality of her work with Primary school children. The project in Downe Manor was a fantastic experience for pupils and adults alike. We all learned such a lot and what a fabulous outcome - the mosaics are now part of the school's heritage and the children will remember the research, designing and making of this masterpiece for the rest of their lives. Thank you Sue!"

05 January 2010

Belmont Primary School

Sue Edkins worked with Belmont Children during the summer term 2004, to design and produce mosaic panels in commemoration of the school’s centenary.
Sue worked closely with us throughout the project and was fundamental to its success. She helped us shape and develop our initial ideas, and then skilfully guided us to modify and refine these ideas into a workable project.
Once the project had been agreed Sue briefed the staff and enabled the children to produce initial designs for three mosaic panels. Sue used the children’s designs to finalise the content of the three panels. When the design stage was complete, Sue spent a month in school working with children of all ages to complete the project.
Throughout the project Sue was completely professional and reliable. She is a skilled and talented artist with a real flair for design. We were impressed with the high quality relationships she formed with the children and staff. The children loved working with Sue and she enabled them to produce work of a very high standard.
The whole school community is delighted with the finished mosaics, which hang in pride of place outside the school as a talking point for future generations.
As well as being a talented artist who is able to engage and stimulate children, Sue understands how schools work. She is flexible and able to adapt to unforeseen events, which inevitable occur in schools.
I can highly recommend Sue to you.

07 January 2005